Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock
by Ryyne
Summary: What happens when Brock decides to play matchmaker? AAMRN+JAJRN -COMPLETE! + errors corrected-
1. The Plan

Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon, and none of these characters are mine…shoot!

A.N.: This is my first fic, so constructive criticism would be appreciated. Also, this is an AAMRN and JAJRN, rated PG. Enjoy (I hope)!

'thoughts'

"speaking"

[author's note]

translation of what Pokemon are saying 

Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock Ch.1: The Plan 

It had been a fairly uneventful day on the way to their next stop. Other than a couple wrong turns and a trainer battle, nothing had happened. It was almost as if time had stopped. The leaves were rustling, the Pidgeys were chirping, and there was a soft breeze blowing that seemed to caress your cheek as it blew by. All in all, it was (and had been) a very peaceful day. 

' I'm so bored…ever since Team Rocket got a week vacation, nothing's happened. It's strange,' he chucked silently, ' but I actually would appreciate falling into a hole right now!' Ash had just won the Sky League, and was 15. He had the same clothes, but, of course, in bigger sizes. He didn't wear his jacket as often, as the place where the Sky League is was very hot and humid, so there wasn't a point in wearing it. He still was the same stubborn, determined person though. His face (and body) had matured a little (he was a lot taller- growth spurt last summer), but you could still easily tell it was he. He was slightly handsome; in a simple sort of way…at least that's what Misty thought. As for Misty and Brock… Misty still had the short side- ponytail and the same clothes, except the shorts didn't have suspenders anymore. She was about a ½ an inch shorter than Ash, but that may be because of Ash's hair that stuck up in all directions (still). Misty wasn't as scrawny anymore, after all, she was 16, closing in on 17, so she had changed somewhat too. She wasn't drop-dead-gorgeous, but she wasn't ugly, either. She, kind of like Ash, was slightly attractive in a simple sort of way, and Ash thought so too. Brock…uh…well… Brock was Brock. 21, still hadn't got a girl, still obsessed with beautiful girls, still obsessed with Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and still couldn't figure out how the heck to open his eyes. Didn't look all that different, didn't act all that different. And, as long as we're on the subject of how everybody's doing… Jessie and James of Team Rocket. Jessie: 1. Still obsessed with her hair. 2. Still tough. 3. Still hurting James and Meowth with her mallet (Misty likewise). 4. STILL HASN'T GOTTEN A PROMOTION.

James: 1. Still obsessed with roses, love and romance, drama, etc. 2. Still the most sensitive one in the TR trio. 3. Still getting hurt by Jessie. 4. STILL HASN'T GOTTEN A PROMOTION.

Meowth: 1. Still not the "Top cat". 2. Still hasn't evolved. 3.Still hasn't learned Payday. 4.STILL HASN'T GOTTEN A PROMOTION. Anyway, back to the present…

Our heroes/heroine were walking on route 89, on their way to Cirrus Town, where they were going to stop at a Pokecenter and heal their Pokemon. Everyone was silent as they walked. Brock was starting to think of teasing Ash and Misty about the fact that in the last town, Ash had to do CPR on Misty…

Flashback

They had gotten lost, once again, and Misty was blaming Ash. 

"It's YOUR fault we got lost!"

"Well, YOU were holding the map upside-down!"

"Guys! Stop flirt- I mean, fighting!! We've gotta find a way to get out of this maze!" Misty, who had caught that little cover-up, stopped abruptly and turned to mallet Brock. Unfortunately, Brock wasn't paying attention, and he plowed head-on into Misty, therefore making both of them tumble into the river next to the path. It was a fairly slow-moving river, but they both got pulled into a whirlpool. After 10 seconds, the twirling water subsided and Ash, who had jumped in to save his friends, somehow towed them out of the water and laid them down on the grass. Ash was breathing hard and he watched Brock start coughing and sit up, but Misty made no indication of being alive. Ash starting panicking, and Brock, who could talk but was still coughing up water, said:

"You've got to do CPR on her Ash!"

"WHAT?!?"

"I'm in no condition to, and anyway, you're the one who loves her!"

" I DO NOT-" Ash started but realized time was running out. So he leaned down and placed his mouth on Misty's. He started breathing air into her mouth and blushing bright red in the process. Brock, meanwhile, was snapping pictures on a camera.

"I'm SO going to laminate these and put the in an album."

Soon Misty started coughing. Ash snapped back and looked at her, still concerned. Misty slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Ash's eyes staring back at her. After she snapped out of the trance she was in and recovered, she asked,

" What the heck happened?!?"

"Well-" Ash started, still blushing, but Brock interrupted him

"- you and I fell into the river Ash saved us I recovered fast but you didn't so…" Brock chuckled evilly. " … Ash did CPR on you, and I took some pics!" Misty bolted up; blushing VERY hard…so was Ash. " How dare you take pictures!"

Yelled Ash, while Misty held him back. She asked him " You saved me…" Ash looked at her, "by doing CPR?" Now Ash looked at the ground and nodded. Misty suddenly hugged him. "Thanks," was all she said.

End Flashback

"So where exactly are we going, Ash?"

"To-AAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

"Pikachuuuuu!"

"OW!"

"Toge!"

Suddenly they all fell into a hole. Brock landed headfirst in the pit, Pikachu bounced off the floor and up righted itself, Togepi landed perfectly, and Misty landed facedown on Ash who landed on his back, but not very hard. Brock, who decided that this is a perfect opportunity to tease, quickly regained balance and said to Ash and Misty, "Enjoying your selves?" Misty blushed. So did Ash. "What?!? Him/Her? Never!" They sprung up, and Misty proceeded to clobber Brock with her mallet. After the dust cleared, she twirled the oversized wooden hammer like a gun, blew the top of it, and stuck it back in her pocket. "Nice," Ash complimented, examining the numerous bumps on Brock's head.

"Why thank you." Misty smiled, proud of her handiwork. After Brock regained consciousness, all of them started examining the pit. "Did Team Rocket do this?" Brock wondered.

"I dunno…I though they were on vacation?" Questioned Misty. 

"They ARE," replied Ash.

"Well excuse me." Muttered Misty.

"How the heck are we gonna get out of here, though?"

"Beats me." Ash shrugged.  
"Too bad you don't have Bulbasaur anymore," commented Misty.

"Hey! I've got it!"

"What?"

"Onix!" Brock snapped his fingers.

"Good idea, Brock!" Exclaimed Misty. Brock took out a Pokeball, and threw it. "Onix, use your body as steps outta this pit!"

Onix roared, then connected the top of the pit to where our heroes are with it's body. They quickly climbed out of the hole. 'Well, at least our day wasn't totally boring,' thought Misty. 'And I can't believe Ilanded on Ash!'

"We should find a campsite soon," said Brock." It's gonna get dark fast."

"Pika I agree." Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi soon found a good camp spot. As they set up camp, Brock was thinking hard.

'Why can't Ash and Misty just admit that they like each other?!? God, this is starting to get annoying. What I need is a plan to get them together! Hmmm… Well I need to get them alone for awhile, but I can't have them realize that it's part of a plan. Also, I need some agents to help me… I know! I can get TR in this too! It's obvious they like each other too, so I can kill two birds with one stone! Plus, now Ash and Misty have a reason to be alone! I can convince them to play Matchmaker for Jessie and James, and I can convince Jessie and James to play Matchmaker for Ash and Misty! Yeah! And while I'm at it, Pikachu and Meowth can help me, plus Pikachu can convince Togepi to help us too. Now I just have to convince TR to play Matchmaker for Ash and Misty and vice versa…'

To Be Continued

A.N.: Yup, I know I'm killing you, but oh well! Please review! Criticism and compliments welcome! Watch for the next part, Ash and Misty, Pro Matchmakers


	2. Ash and Misty, Pro Matchmakers

A.N.: This is the second chapter of Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock. In the first chapter Brock started developing a plan to get Ash+Misty together and, possibly, in the process, also get Jessie+James together, and is going to start to carry it out in the next part of the fic (this chapter). This chapter won't be as fluffy as the last- I need some time to develop the plot more (AAH! I'm sounding like my English teacher!). Sorry you guys!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor in any way involved with the owners/ makers.  
  
Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock  
  
Ch. 2: Ash and Misty, Pro Matchmakers  
  
The next morning, Brock amazingly got up before anyone else. He started thinking about his scheme, and soon realized that he would have to find Team Rocket before anything else- the question was, where to find them? Just scouting around would take too long, and they always seemed to pop up at the most random times, usually when nobody wanted to see them. So he shrugged and left it to fate that he would soon bump into them.but he didn't know how long that would take.  
  
So, Brock got out a frying pan and started cooking breakfast, which consisted of eggs and some wild mushrooms he found growing near a patch of moss.  
  
It was really peaceful: only he was up, no Misty to bash him on the head or Ash rambling on about anything related to Pokemon. Soon breakfast was ready and he set the mixture out on plates, and then TRIED to wake up Ash and Misty.and Pikachu.  
  
"BROOOOCK!!"  
  
"NOOOOOOOO!"  
  
"CHUUUUUUUUU!"  
  
"I DON"T WAN-wait, do I smell FOOD?!?"  
  
A wide-eyed, drooling Ash made his way to the plates of steaming mush. [ok, just want to make something clear- "mush" doesn't mean that the food tasted bad, it just means that it's mushy]  
  
"Well, at least SOMEONE knows what to do when there's food around." Muttered Brock, and tried to get Misty up. He finally succeeded, and she rubbed her eyes and looked at the food with disinterest.  
  
"Ya know, I hope you know what kind of mushrooms those are."  
  
"Are you saying that I can't identify food?"  
  
"No, I'm saying that maybe you don't know your mushrooms, and I hope those aren't poisonous."  
  
"Er."  
  
Ash looked up, an as if on cue, started choking.  
  
"See?"  
  
Pikachu, who noticed that no one was trying to save Ash, shocked him about.oh, about 20 times. Soon Ash was charred and you could see little sparks on him once in a while. Then he started convulsing; and he made little gagging noises that sounded like a squirrel sneezing. Brock moved toward him, but Misty grabbed his shoulder so hard it made him nearly flip backward.  
  
"You idiot! He going to spit it out anytime now just wait or else he'll choke even more."  
  
"Well YOU don't seem very worried."  
  
"I'm not-he'll spit it out, trust me."  
  
"Oookay, whatever you say, Misty."  
  
Ash's face now had turned blue. Pikachu "headbutted" his back, and sure enough, out came a little red mushroom. Soon enough, Ash had regained his composure.and started picking out the mushrooms in his breakfast.  
  
"He never gives up, does he?"  
  
"Uhh.nope."  
  
Misty sighed, and turned the PokeRadio on. "This morning will be slightly cloudy, with lows in the mid 70's and highs in the low 80's. Bob?"  
  
"Thank you, Fred. Tonight it'll be raining Persians and Arcanines, with a slight wind heading we-BZZZZZZZZTT.  
  
"HUH?"  
  
Suddenly the radio had just died. Static filled the air. Then, two familiar voices replaced the static.  
  
"Are we on?" A high, bossy female voice asked.  
  
"Ummm.I dunno, Jess." The voice that answered was a much lower one.  
  
"Meeowth! The red light's on so of course we are!"  
  
"Oh. Okay." The female voice cleared her throat.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
  
Ash and Misty groaned. Brock, however, looked thoughtful, and for once seemed to be paying attention to Team Rocket's motto.  
  
"To unite all people within the nation!"  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and.::cough cough:: love!  
  
NOW Brock got really excited. He turned to Ash and Misty.' Perfect! Now I can start Phase One: Ash and Misty, Pro Matchmakers!' He snapped the radio off and turned to Ash and Misty, who looked quizzically at him. "Um, I just thought of something. You know how Jessie and James always act like a couple? They fight and argue and etcetera?" Brock's listeners nodded. "Well, I think it's past time that they got together.and I have a plan to do so!" Now Ash and Misty looked at him like he was crazy. 'Ok, maybe that was sprung on them a little fast.'  
  
"OKAY! So what's your plan?" Luckily, Misty the Romantic came to his aid.  
  
"Well.we gotta find them first. That will be my job. I'll lead them to you, and then you guys will do the matchmaking."  
  
"But how-"  
  
"Don't worry, you'll know what to do when the time comes."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"So I'll be off now to find them!"  
  
Brock grabbed some food and his backpack, them walked away from ash and Misty.  
  
"Wait! When will you be back? And who'll do the cooking and stuff?"  
  
"You guys will! There's an instruction manual in Ash's tent. Bye! See you in a couple of days!"  
  
And Brock disappeared into the morning mist. "Uh.Misty, what just happened?"  
  
"I. Don't. Know."  
  
"Pikachu.?"  
  
Notes from me: Hi you guys! Like the chapter? No? Yes? Ugh. It's 7:50 right now on a Sunday night.I'm tired, for some reason. Anyway, please review!  
  
Next chapter: Brock finds Jessie and James, and explains everything to Pikachu. and Ash and Misty are trying to cook.in Team Rocket's In the Picture Now! (I know. great title. ^^; ) 


	3. Team Rocket's In the Picture Now!

A.N.- Yes! Third chapter. Finally! Anyway, enjoy!  
  
Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock  
  
Chapter 3: Team Rocket's In the Picture Now!  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAA! OW OW OWIE!!!" Ash had just tried to turn on the stove, and it had blasted him in the face with fire. "I don't know why that should hurt," Misty said, annoyed. "You get barbequed by Cyndaquil all the time!"  
  
"Oh yeah. Good point, Mist." Ash sprung up, having the resilience of a toddler. Misty sighed. " This time, I'll turn on the stove. You can...uh...go get vegetables or something."  
  
"OK!! Bulbasaur, I choose you!" The plant Pokemon sprung out of his Pokeball, looking expectantly at his master. "Bulba? What? " The Pokemon asked.  
  
" Hi, ol' buddy! Could you go and use your razor leaf to cut some stuff?" "Namely, EDIBLE FOOD!" Misty yelled, interrupting Ash.  
  
"Saur! Sure! " Bulbasaur answered. The Pokemon walked, er, waddled off into the forest. Ash and Misty soon started gathering more firewood. Ash got out the instruction manual... but accidentally stumbled and threw it into the roaring fire. They stood in silence watching their temporary "bible" snap, crackle, and pop as it turned to ashes (no pun intended). Ash tentatively looked at Misty, and nearly fell over from the shock... she didn't look mad at all! Just for precaution, he quickly threw on his puppy eyes just as Misty turned to glare at him, but her glare quickly turned into a smile as she saw his pathetic attempt to throw her off with a cute look.  
  
" Um..." Ash started, not exactly sure what was going on inside the (sometimes) evil head of Misty.  
  
"What?" Misty asked, a little annoyed, but not knowing why.  
  
"Are you mad?" Now that made Misty double with laughter. He sounded so much like a little 5-year-old, who had just broken an expensive vase. Here he is, a 15-year-old, was in the top 16 in the Indigo Competition, beat the Orange League AND the Sky League...and practically begging Misty not to hurt him.  
  
"No...but just for that, you have to finish collecting the firewood on your own, and I'll cut the vegetables that Bulbasaur brings back." As soon as she finished speaking, along came a tiny plant pokemon carrying a bunch of plants (that hopefully were veggies). Ash continued picking up dried pieces of wood, which was slightly difficult because the rainy season had come and, unfortunately, had also lived up to its name. Misty set down a chopping board on a log, placed the food Bulbasaur brought on it, and proceeded to chop it...  
  
" Wait, it's this way, no! I'VE GOT IT!!! I TURN RIGHT!!!" Meanwhile, Brock was having a pretty hard time navigating himself around the forest. And it really didn't help that he had the map upside-down. So he continued getting himself lost...when he heard voices that sounded awfully familiar...  
  
"MEOWTH!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU- CATS DON'T USE HAIRSPRAY!!"  
  
"Meowth! Well this cat does!"  
  
"GRRRRRRRRR!!!"  
  
" Jesse, please calm down! Violence is not the ans-YAAAAAAAH!! HEEELP!!" Numerous sounds of pain quickly filled the forest as Brock slowly creeped behind some bushes and peeked, or should I say spied on Team Rocket. It seemed that Meowth had completely used up Jesse's hairspray, and Jesse was mad as...well, as mad as a mad Jesse. Which, I might add, is REALLY mad. It also seemed that Jesse was going to have to go through a WHOLE ENTIRE DAY without...(gasp!) hairspray. Oh, the horror!  
  
"Don't worry Jess! You know I keep a spare!" Ok, so she wouldn't have to go through a day without hairspray.  
  
"James! You're a lifesaver! As for you, "top cat"," Jesse grinned sadistically, " Let's see how many lives cats really have." And so Jesse proceeded to pound Meowth with her forever-feared "Mallet of Doom" (Misty also has one). Once she finished torturing Meowth, she ran and hugged James like he had just saved her life...Well, to her, he actually did.  
  
" I owe you one, James," She admitted.  
  
" I'll remember that!" James grinned...and Jesse glared. "Don't think this is going to become a habit!!!" The blue-haired TR member cowered under her angry look.  
  
"I'll remember that, too."  
  
Brock snorted at Team Rocket's funny scene. Unfortunately, Jesse appeared to have heard the repressed burst of laughter and transferred her glare from James to the patch of foliage Brock was hiding in. Needless to say, James sighed [with relief]. Jesse stomped (AN-what am I saying here?) over to the bushes and pulled them back to reveal a very sheepish but scared Brock.  
  
"What the hell?!?!?"  
  
"OH!! AHH!" Misty winced as the blade sliced her finger. "What happened? Are you okay??" A very concerned Ash ran over to the bleeding Misty.  
  
" Yeah, just a cut. It's kind of deep, but-AHH!" Misty painfully exclaimed as Ash gently touched her finger. "That's pretty deep for just a cut, Mist. Here, let me bandage you."  
  
Ash pulled the medical kit out of his tent and then turned is attention fully to Misty. "Okay, this will sting a bit, but just stay still." He applied a disinfectant to the wound, which made Misty pull back her finger, but Ash firmly held on to it. He wrapped it with some gauze, but then felt Misty gazing at him.  
  
"What is it?" Ash asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.  
  
"OH! Uh, um... it's nothing...actually, thanks Ash."  
  
"Oh, everyone knows how to bandage a finger."  
  
"That's not exactly what I meant...Just thanks for caring so much." Ash blushed at this, and quickly said "No problem." He added in his head, `Definitely not a problem.'  
  
Brock felt cornered. Which he was. Jesse stared at him and asked more than a little annoyed, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Umm..."  
  
"WELL?!?"  
  
"UhIneedyourhelppleasepleasedon'thurtme!!"  
  
"What? English please." Brock took a deep breath. Team Rocket wasn't anything to be scared of, but an annoyed Jesse certainly was. So he repeated what he said a little slower.  
  
"I need your help." Of course, he cut out the "don't hurt me" and the "please"s.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"Um, could I sit down?"  
  
"You are." Brock nervously laughed and stood up to sit down near their campfire.  
  
"Ok. So here's the deal, Team Rocket. Putting it simply, I want you to help me play matchmaker for Ash and Misty."  
  
"Oh, you mean Mr. and Mrs. Twerp?"  
  
"Well, technically, they're not married, but yeah."  
  
"What's in it for us?"  
  
"Um...you might have a chance at catching Pikachu..." Jesse rolled her eyes. "...And I'll cook you whatever you want!" Brock grinned. Jesse's eyes grew as big as dinner plates. She twirled and hugged James for the second time that night. James blushed and weakly hugged her back. Brock snorted at Jesse's display of affection for the blue-haired member of the trio.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes?" Brock asked smugly. Jesse felt her face grow hot but quickly turned and yelled at Brock to hide her embarrassment, and her blushing face. James snapped out of his momentary shock that Jesse, the mallet-wielding, hot-tempered, evil but beautiful Team Rocket member, had actually hugged him TWICE in about ten minutes. `I must have done something really good in my past life to get this.'  
  
"James, what do you say?" Brock noticed that he had been unusually silent ever since Jesse had first hugged him.  
  
"Um...sure!"  
  
15 MINUTES LATER...  
  
Pikachu perked his ears up as he heard a familiar voice near the bushes.  
  
"Psssst..."  
  
"Pika?" Ash turned to look at his poke-friend.  
  
" What's up, buddy?"  
  
"Pikapi." Pikachu vigorously shook his head, but curiously looked at the mysterious talking shrub. He glanced at Ash, and seeing his trainer was preoccupied, he scampered over to the bush.  
  
"PIKA?" He exclaimed as he found himself staring at Brock.  
  
"Oh hi Pikachu."  
  
"PIPI?"  
  
"Um...sure." Pikachu shook his head. Of course Brock couldn't understand him. Only Ash could, but Misty did know her name. So Pikachu started  
  
mime-ing out what he was saying. Of course, Brock didn't get it.  
  
"WHAT?!? You saw Nurse Joy AND Officer Jenny in bathing suits at the beach?!? Heck, what am I waiting for- LET'S GO!" Brock took off, but soon received a slightly painful bolt of electricity from- who else- Pikachu.  
  
"O-o-o-oooooh...ow." Brock mumbled as he, inevitably, fell over. The electric Pokemon tried once again to ask him the question. As soon as Brock recovered, he asked innocently, "So I guess you want to know why I'm here?" Pikachu sweatdropped.  
  
"PIKA!!!"  
  
"Yes? Well, see, I'm having Ash and Misty play matchmaker for Jesse and James, and also having Jesse and James play matchmaker for Ash and Misty.  
  
No, seriously, Pikachu, I think I'm a genius." Pikachu nodded numbly.  
  
"Anyway, do you think you could get all the other pokemon to help me?"  
  
"Pika!" `Pikachu, pikapi pi pipika pipi pika pikachupi pi' [Pikachu thought that last sentence.] "Sure!" `But Ash and Misty are gonna kill me.'   
  
"Great! You're the best, Pikachu."  
  
"Pika." You better believe it.   
  
kat: So! Like this chapter? I'm sorry I'm so slow...but I have lots of schoolwork. And I just finished exams- YAY! Please read and review. Well, actually, just review cause you've already read. No pointless flames though. I mean, if I write horribly, then help me fix it by giving me CONSTRUCTIVE criticism- that is, tell me how I could improve. Ja ne! 


	4. Fun and Games

AN: hi! This is the 4^th chapter of Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock! Yes, FOURTH chapter. I seriously can't believe it. I never thought it would go this long...and there's still SO much more to go! Well, anyway, in this chapter the fun and games begin! (Hence, the title.)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Some really rich cooperation/company does. WAA!  
  
Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock  
  
Chapter 3: Fun and Games  
  
It had been a week since Brock took off. Ash and Misty had survived...barely. Every once in a while, the got into a heated argument over this and that. Luckily, an "incident" hadn't happened for days now, and they both seemed to have a lot of time on their hand to think about WHERE the HECK Brock WAS! [erm...excuse me.] On this certain day, they were both wondering together about Brock's little "task" for them.  
  
"Hey Ash... How do you suppose we're supposed to play matchmaker?"  
  
"I dunno...match them?" For this our unlucky hero got a bash on the head...but he's dense anyways.  
  
"No!! I mean, how are we supposed to get them together?"  
  
"Well, maybe the next time we see them, we could get them into a romantic yet uncomfortable situation...?" Misty stared: it was unlike Ash to think up any sort a witty plan, yet alone know the meaning of the word "romantic". Apparently Ash caught her stare and knew exactly what she was staring at/about.  
  
"What?!? I do actually think about other things beside Pokemon!"  
  
"Could've fooled me..." Misty muttered, but Ash (unfortunately) heard her.  
  
"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?" Ash calmed down and said, "Well I've done a lot of thinking about this whole cupid-role-playing thing...and I think I really would like to get it started cause that way-'' Ash stopped abruptly. `Jeez... that was close...'  
  
"Because...?" Misty asked, curious that Ash would want to do anything having to do with romance.  
  
"Uh...because...eheheh...um, I really wanna see Brock again!" He laughed nervously, pushing his two index fingers together.  
  
"Oh." Misty really didn't believe him, but she let it slide. `Next time,' she thought, `he won't be so lucky.' Then she said again, " So what will the `romantic yet uncomfortable' situation be?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"Well you're supposed to know!"  
  
"Hey! You should do some work too! You're the one who at Mt. Moon said, `oh, it's so romantic!' or something like that!"  
  
"Hmm. Good point." Misty colored a bit at that memory.  
  
"Ha!" Misty was going to retaliate to that "ha!", but she decided not to, and just kept her cool.  
  
"Okay. So we have to think of some kick-butt matchmaker plan..."  
  
*Team Rocket*  
  
At the same time...  
  
"YAAAWN..." James, Jesse, and Meowth had decided to sleep in this morning. After all, their current job was to get the twerps together. I mean, how hard could it possibly be? Well...  
  
Jesse stretched her arms and smacked her lips. "Mmmm...so peaceful and quiet..." She glanced over at James and Meowth, who were sprawled across their sleeping bags. She smiled. For some reason, she felt that today, everything was going to go their way. Who knows? Maybe it will.  
  
Her mind wandered to Brock's request. `Oh well,' she thought, `James seemed pretty into it.' Almost on cue, as if he knew that Jesse was thinking about him, James got up slowly and yawned. He stopped abruptly when he saw Jesse staring at him.  
  
"Heheh." He laughed nervously, not knowing at all why Jesse seemed to intent on her gazing. Suddenly she smiled. James, on the other hand, nearly had a heart attack. `What is she smiling about? The prospect of torturing me?'  
  
"Hey Jess, what're ya smilin' all about?" Jesse whipped her head around to find that Meowth was looking at her very amused.  
  
"Oh nothing." She smiled again. James thought that something was definitely up.  
  
"You sure, Jess?"  
  
"Well...actually... I was just thinking about all the tricks we could play on the twerps!" She said quickly. She could have just left it at "oh nothing", but then she figured that Meowth would guess what, or rather WHO, she was smiling at/ about.  
  
"Ooooh! I wanna play a trick! It's gotta be romantic, dramatic, and put them in a sweet yet uncomfortable position!" James' romantic side immediately took over. Jesse smirked this time.  
  
"You got it, James."  
  
"So ya guys...what do ya tink we should do?"  
  
"Oh...I have plenty of ideas..." Jesse grinned evilly.  
  
"Could we have breakfast first?"  
  
*Twer-I mean, Ash and Misty*  
  
Ash and Misty were scheming. They were scheming- yup, you guessed it- their " JJ Project" ( Jessed and James Project). Pikachu had left earlier that day, supposedly to find where Team Rocket was and keep and eye on them. Ash had objected at first, but was finally convinced by the inference that TR most likely wouldn't be able to capture Pikachu, because unless they had come into possession of a cheap robot it was nearly impossible for Pikachu to get caught and remain that way. Er, make that a VERY cheap robot.  
  
"Do you really think this'll work, Ash?"  
  
"Of course it will, Mist!"  
  
"But Noctowl might get tired and never come back...or TR might catch him!"  
  
"Same went for Pikachu, Misty, but I let him go."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Ash and Misty were sending out Noctowl to find Team Rocket. They hadn't really come up with a plan yet, but they figured they could just go with the flow. Sort of an impromptu thing. I mean, Jesse and James would provide the material...Ash and Misty would just aggravate it. Or so they hoped.  
  
"CEAAW!" Noctowl let out a scream as it set off to find Jesse and James from the sky. Ask and Misty quickly followed, making sure that the bird pokemon remained in view. The sun was bright and they squinted their eyes to make out the silhouette of the flying ally, but to no avail. After glancing wildly around at their surroundings, Ash and Misty quickly came to the realization that they were...lost. `Perfect... Just perfect.'  
  
AN: That last thought was a sarcastic one, kay? It didn't really sound very sarcastic, so I had to tell you. Stay tuned for the next part of Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock! And I just realized that Brock barely gets to make any appearances anymore, so the next chapter will have him in it. Ja ne! 


	5. A Weird Way to End Things

AN: Fifth chapter now! Wow…well, wow to me at least. This chapter is the last (sniff). It'll probably be pretty long, though. I think I'm ending this a little too quickly…but this idea requires me to end this fic fast.  
  
Mastermind Matchmaker, AKA Brock  
  
Chapter Five: A Weird Way to End Things  
  
'Oh, man…this CANNOT be happening…' Ash thought. 'Ok. Calm down. Let's think this through, Ash. Right. Okay, point number one: I'm lost. Point number two: I'm lost with Misty. Point number three: I'm lost with Misty, and we're alone in a deserted forest. Point number four: I'm doomed.' As sighed. 'Well, that was a reassuring pep talk to myself.'  
  
Misty noticed Ash's sigh, and asked: "Well, what should we do now? Noctowl will eventually realize that we're not behind him, but by then it'll probably be too late."  
  
"Yeah…Well, maybe we'll get lucky and stumble across Team Rocket anyway."  
  
What Ash and Misty didn't know was that Noctowl had talked to Pikachu earlier on that day. He had agreed to get Ash and Misty lost in the forest near where Team Rocket was. They also didn't know how true Ash's last statement was. Of course, who would find who first?  
  
1 *Team Rocket*  
  
"Sigh… James, would you just DIE if you didn't have breakfast for once?"  
  
"Um…yes?"  
  
"That was NOT the answer I wanted to hear."  
  
"Oops." Jesse sighed. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'James will be James.' She was just about to make TR's breakfast. But how was she supposed to make it when they didn't have any food? She sighed again. This morning, things were NOT going her way. At least, not right now.  
  
"So James, since you're the one who wants breakfast so much, what should I make, and, more importantly, how the heck do I make it?" Meowth intervened and said, "Well I saw some vegetables near those bushes over there."  
  
"Uh…thanks, Meowth. I guess."  
  
"No prob!" So Jesse walked over to a patch of bushes and started rooting around [no pun intended] for some edible roots and/or veggies.  
  
*Ash and Misty*  
  
Ash and Misty were trying to find their coordinates on a map, but to no avail. Neither of them had any map-reading skills, so things weren't going very well. Suddenly Misty looked up and whispered to Ash, "I think I heard something."  
  
"Really?" Ash whispered back. "What?"  
  
"I don't know…I think something about breakfast and…uh…James?" Ash looked at Misty and vice versa. "Team Rocket!" They both exclaimed.  
  
"Wait, Ash! We have to be quiet!"  
  
"Oops. Well you yelled too!"  
  
"I know. I have to be quiet also."  
  
"Well, Misty, what should we do?"  
  
"I have no idea, Ash…" She looked at the ground as if it would provide some sort of answer. And it actually did.  
  
"Ash! Look!" Misty pointed at a little red object.  
  
"What's so great about tha- Hey! That's the same kind of mushroom that I accidentally ate and choked on!"  
  
"Yup. And are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Misty grinned.  
  
"I think I am this time, Mist."  
  
*Team Rocket*  
  
"Oh! And here's a radish…and a carrot…" Jesse was intently digging through the bushes (and the ground) for any sort of edibles. She was making great progress, too. "James, Meowth!" She yelled, suddenly angry.  
  
"Eeep!" James squeaked, scared at the fact that he had no idea at all why Jesse was suddenly mad.  
  
"You guys are the ones who wanted breakfast, so you guys better come over here and help me!" Jesse yelled again.  
  
"Okie, Jess!" Meowth scampered over to the bushes where Jesse was working.  
  
"Well, James?"  
  
"Er, coming!" James yelled, a little too loudly.  
  
"Good. Now help me, right here. I can't seem to pull this carrot out of the ground." James went and knelt down so close to Jesse that both of them immediately got nervous.  
  
"Uh…o-okay! So, uh, where's the carrot?"  
  
"Right here." Jesse pointed to her side, the one opposite of where James was. James reached over to pull it out, and their cheeks accidentally came into contact. He shot back up and blushed. Jesse was blushing too, but was turned the other way.  
  
"Uh…um…James! Are you or aren't you going to get this carrot?!?"  
  
"I will." James said quickly, and yanked it out, being careful not to make the same mistake he just made. "Here! Got it!"  
  
"Wonderful, James! You actually pulled a carrot out!" Jesse said sarcastically.  
  
"Thanks!" James was completely oblivious to her sarcasm. It seemed that the uncomfortable moment when their cheeks brushed one another never happened.  
  
*BROCK!*  
  
For the last couple of days, Brock had been watching Team Rocket and Ash + Misty very closely…with some help from Golbat, of course. Now he was in a tree, overlooking both TR scrounging for their breakfast and Ash and Misty planning something behind the bushes. "Perfect!" He chuckled. 'This is going so well, I can hardly believe that I thought of it! Ah…with my knowledge of matchmaking and romance, this'll be a snap!' Suddenly he heard a snap coming from the branch he was on. 'God, no…' [sorry that wasn't a very long Brock, part, ppl! But just wait until the end!]  
  
*Ash and Misty*  
  
Ash and Misty had observed the whole TR incident. They were crouched behind some bushes behind Team Rocket's camp. Ash had the little red mushroom clutched tightly in his hand, ready to spring into action. What action, you ask? Why, to drop it in their soup, of course. Hopefully, James or Jesse would choke on it and the other would have to do CPR or something on their partner. Really? Ash and Misty have sick minds? Well, we'll see. When Ash and Misty came upon their plan, they both colored a bit at that memory of Ash doing CPR on Misty. But, they quickly shoved it aside and worked on the details of their plan.  
  
"Okay, Ash. When they both have their backs turned, sprint out and drop the mushroom in the soup."  
  
"Roger. Over and out." Misty hit him on the head. "This isn't a 1960 war movie! Just do it!"  
  
"Okay, okay…yeesh."  
  
Ah! The window of opportunity! Team Rocket all had their backs turned. Ash ran out into the site, and quickly threw the little red object into the stew. He paused for a second, making sure it sank out of sight within the soup, and ran back, panting a tiny bit.  
  
"Wow! That actually worked!"  
  
"Yeah (pant). It did (pant)." Ash gasped. Misty grabbed his hand, and to his surprise, started dancing around. Ash blushed fiercely. Okay, so it was a victory dance, but hey! This was MISTY who was dancing around with him. What was up with that? He was enjoying it, though, and at that moment, knew for sure that he had fallen-and hard- for Misty. Before this he thought it was just a tiny crush, and didn't think twice about it most of the time. He also realized that Brock knew this before he did. He smiled, and twirled around the clearing with his best friend, and now, even more than that.  
  
Misty was incredibly surprised that she did that too. 'What the heck came over me? I mean, sure, he's my best friend, and even more than that, but…" She stopped. Where had that revelation come from? Oh well. She sighed inwardly. It was true, she just never wanted to admit it. But now it was a fact that was hard to miss or shove to the back of her brain.  
  
By now, they had stopped dancing, but were just holding each other's hand and pondering over their new- found feelings. Soon they realized that they were holding hands, and quickly let go as if the other's hand was a hot coal. Their faces were still the color of a rose. YES, a RED rose.  
  
*Team Rocket*  
  
"Aha! Finished!" Jesse proudly proclaimed.  
  
"YAY! BREAKFAST!" James and Meowth scrambled to get bowls to hold the piping-hot vegetable soup. Once Jesse had poured each a third of the concoction, they started eating it. Jesse calmly sat down, then ate it with the same vigor as her partners. Suddenly…Meowth started choking! Jesse and James didn't notice it at first (they were too occupied with their food), but then noticed that it was really quiet.  
  
"AH! Meowth, what's wrong?!?" James yelled, concerned about the cat pokemon.  
  
"James! He's choking!"  
  
"EEP!!!"  
  
"Come on, Meowth, breathe! BREATHE!"  
  
[okay, now I'm not gonna tell you that the scenes are switching. They're merging now, anyways.]  
  
The commotion had alerted Ash and Misty that their plan was working. Their blushes almost gone, they eagerly looked at the TR camp…and saw MEOWTH choking. "DA*M!" They both yelled at the same time.  
  
Jesse and James heard the swear word yelled VERY LOUDLY, so they abandoned Meowth and ran out to find-who else?- the twerps looking very mad.  
  
"HEY! AREN-GACK!" Meowth coughed up the vegetable culprit and, after he had recovered, looked at the scene that was slowly unfolding before his very eyes. Both sides were looking very confused and mad.  
  
"What are you twerps doing here?!?"  
  
"Ahhh…"  
  
"WELL?!?" Ash and Misty were at a loss. 'Oh well,' they thought, 'might as well tell them the truth. That'll put them in an uncomfortable situation, anyway.'  
  
"For your information, we were playing matchmaker for you guys!" Misty yelled back. But before either Team Rocket members could retort, they all heard a loud crack and someone fell out of a tree. "Darn those stupid trees…so weak. YOU NEED MORE NUTRITION!" Brock yelled, waving his fist at the tree he was just hiding in.  
  
"BROCK?!?" Everyone (but Brock) yelled, shocked. Jesse and James were putting two and two together, and were getting extremely mad.  
  
"I get it now." Jesse said calmly. But had sweat dripping down his face, and Ash and Misty we're getting extremely confused.  
  
"You told both the twerps and us to play matchmaker for each other. You tricked us!" Jesse yelled. Ash and Misty got mad now too.  
  
"And Pikachu wasn't HELPING us! He was helping YOU!" Ash yelled. "Hey…by the way, where is he?" With impeccable timing, Pikachu scampered out of some shrubs underneath the tree that Brock used to be hiding in.  
  
"Pika pipi pikachu chuuuuu!!" Pikachu told Brock, pointing in every direction. Then he noticed Brock's silence and found himself looking at Ash's really pissed off glare.  
  
"Pika…?" The electric pokemon laughed nervously.  
  
"Oh, hey, buddy. There you are." Ash glared at Pikachu. So did everyone else, besides Brock. Then everyone stopped glaring.  
  
" Well, I guess your plan didn't work so well, Brock." Misty smirked. Brock put his hand behind his head and laughed.  
  
"Guess not! But you guys we're SO naïve!"  
  
"Yeah," Misty and Jesse said, then smiled, not realizing what they were saying. "But that's what I love about Ash/James so much, anyway!"  
  
Brock smirked.  
  
Misty and Jesse blushed, realizing what they just said.  
  
Ash and James' jaws nearly dropped to the floor. Then Ash smirked, and said to Misty, "If I'm so naïve, then how come I've already realized that I've completely fallen for you?" Misty's jaw dropped this time. Before she could recover, Ash ran over and tackled her and started tickling her. They were laughing and blushing incredibly hard.  
  
Brock smirked again. "Oh, get a room, you guys." Both of them stopped to glare at him. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Misty said.  
  
"Well, actually, I wanted Jesse and James to get together too…" The TR partners blushed. Then Jesse said,  
  
"Oh, the heck with it." And she tackled James too, but stopped to glance at her partner seductively. James gulped, but then smirked, making him have the fourth smirk in about 5 minutes. "You know what I love about you Jess?"  
  
"What?" She said, and was about to say something more, but stopped. She paused for a couple seconds, and grinned. She was about to say something, but stopped again- this time because she was interrupted by Brock.  
  
"Would it hurt if there was some lip-action involved?" James, Jesse, Ash, and Misty paled. Pikachu sweat-dropped.  
  
"PERVERT!"  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
AN: YAY! END! Thanks for reading, guys! I'll try to start another fanfic soon, but it probably won't be a Pokemon one. Anyway, I hope you liked the results of this fic!  
  
-kat 


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